Re: <nettime> Autumnal Net Critique under existent social conditions

[Dan O'Huiginn <daniel@ohuiginn.net>]

What's fascinating about this (and yes, very 90s cyberpunk) is how
explicit it makes the business case for hacktivism as a promo for paid
hacking work.

> Shaltai Boltai, if Lewis is to be believed, is only a "side project."
> The group's main work is getting hired to dig up information about
> private and public individuals.

Hacking politicians' email is how you build your reputation, by the
sound of it. It's the same model as writing a book to get consulting
gigs, or making a short film to get work directing adverts. Especially
when you can re-purpose spare data:

> After the main work is done, there’s always some information we
> collected, but never used. That is what makes it to Anonymous
> International.

And Humpty Dumpty even manage to work a pretty complete sales pitch into
the article ("Our prices start at around $30,000", "Sometimes we hand
over information to intermediaries, without ever knowing the client")

Dan

On 04.04.2015 19:16, Bruce Sterling wrote:

>    *I'm as touched by nettime-list nostalgia as anybody else here --
>    (since I was the first guy of American nationality to sign up for the
>    ordeal) -- but sometimes I think nettime ought to wise up and declare
>    victory.  It's nettime's world and we just live in it.
<...>
>    *Check out this narrative where globe-trotting Russian wise-guys hack

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